1. Field of Invention
The present invention is directed to systems and methods for accessing facilities and, more particularly, for automatically and dynamically controlling access to facilities and for collecting and providing visitor data.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Tourism is a vital industry in many locations, including for example cities in the United States. A number of systems have arisen in the context of promoting tourism to generate interest in visiting attractions, such as museums, guided tours, rides, parks, etc.
In this context, others have provided systems where tourists may purchase a pass that can be used at a variety of attractions. One example is a pass that is good for access to more than one ski area. Another is a day pass that allows access to various attractions.
Smart card technology has become fashionable in a variety of contexts. A “smart card” is a card that is capable of storing data on it. Such data may be changed dynamically, such as a current financial balance for the card; the card may also include pre-programmed data that is not changeable by the user, such as a unique identifier for the card; other data. One example of a “smart card” is a plastic card the size of a credit card that has an embedded microprocessor for storing information, used for banking, medical alerts, etc. Such devices may be used by inserting the card into a reading device which includes a processor (or the equivalent) that may change the data on the card.
One use of a smart card for tourist attractions is to pre-program the card with the attractions that it is good for, and placing a reader at each facility. When a purchaser buys and uses the card (e.g., by “dunking” it in a reader), the reader can verify that the card has been programmed to allow access to this attraction.
In another example, a buyer may provide an identification card, such as a smart card with a unique ID, at the time of purchase of a ticket, pass, reservation, or the like, which identification may be electronically transmitted to a facility site (e.g., the attraction for which the ticket or pass was purchased). The buyer ID may be confirmed at the facility site, e.g., by presenting the smart card to a smart card reader, resulting in, for example, printing of a ticket, admission document etc. to allow the buyer access to the facility site. Some examples of such as system are described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,738,750 to Stone et. al, issued May 18, 2004.